Adults with growth hormone deficiency face many health concerns, as well as physiological changes that impact appearance and well-being.
You have likely heard the number 8 thrown out as the optimum amount of hours for sleep as an adult. If you are in the same category as many other people, chances are that number is elusive. That brings us to this discussion about HGH benefits for better sleep. Without enough HGH in the body, you are probably coming up short in the sleep department.
Face it; our bodies need sleep. That is when we undergo tissue repair, metabolism, immunity strengthening, and cognitive processing of the day’s activities. Your brain will decide what to keep and store as well as what is not important while you sleep. HGH is a crucial part of these activities as it plays an essential role in each of those areas. When you do not get enough sleep, these functions will suffer.
Although doctors do not prescribe HGH for sleep disorders, the benefits in this area are astounding. Adults with growth hormone deficiency face many health concerns, as well as physiological changes that impact appearance and well-being. Getting enough sleep is critical to the body producing enough HGH. Lack of sleep will not only influence HGH levels, but low human growth hormones reduce sleep even further.
How Does HGH Regulate Sleep?
According to the latest information released by the National Sleep Foundation, here is how much sleep you need:
- Adults age 18 – 64: seven to nine hours a night
- Adults age 65 and older: seven to eight hours a night
- It is also not recommended for adults under age 65 to get less than six or more than ten hours a night.
After age 65, those numbers change to not less than five hours and no more than nine hours of sleep.
According to the research, while it may be acceptable for some individuals to get less than the recommended amount, going below the not recommended point is not conducive to health or well-being. We must take this a step further and reinforce that adequate HGH production requires the recommended amount of sleep.
When you are younger, and your body has higher levels of HGH, you sleep longer and more soundly. Then, as you age, and growth hormone levels decline, you sleep less. During the day, you become fatigued. To recoup energy, a spike in cortisol levels signals the hormone ghrelin to stimulate your hunger. You then eat something – often high in sugar or caffeine for increased energy. As you come crashing down a short time later, the process repeats itself. The increased levels of cortisol inhibit the pituitary glands’ release of HGH. With lower levels of HGH, no sleep becomes a problem as higher amounts of cortisol keep your body from relaxing and drifting off into a deep sleep.
When you receive HGH benefits for better sleep, you help inhibit cortisol levels from taking control. Lower cortisol means your body can relax easier at night, improving the ability to fall asleep.
How Does Lack of Sleep Impact HGH Levels?
According to extensive research on sleep and aging, these are some of the issues facing older adults:
- Taking longer to fall asleep
- Shorter overall sleep time
- More awakenings
- Lighter or fragile sleep
- Reduced slow-wave sleep time
- Fewer REM sleep cycles
- Increased time in lighter sleep stages
HGH release occurs at night during slow-wave sleep. Fewer REM cycles with shorter durations reduce the amount of HGH secreted into the bloodstream. When we look at HGH benefits for better sleep, we immediately find that having a higher level of growth hormone helps to inhibit cortisol production. The result enables you to fall asleep faster at night.
Growth hormone directly impacts the hippocampus, a critical region of the brain located in the medial temporal lobe. The hippocampus helps store your long-term memories – think past experiences and knowledge. One reason why we look at HGH for sleep is that normal hippocampal functions require sleep. The growth hormone released is suppressed by sleep deprivation. [2]
Lack of HGH sleep side effects brings forward a connection to forgetfulness and memory. The crucial slow waves that we need for HGH production come from the medial prefrontal cortex. Because older adults have less slow-wave activity, their memory performance is worse.
Does Increasing HGH Benefit Sleep?
When a doctor specializing in hormone replacement diagnoses growth hormone deficiency, he or she can prescribe supplemental treatment with HGH. Sleep benefits occur, in part, because cortisol levels decrease. It then becomes easier to relax and fall asleep at night.
Other HGH benefits for better sleep include providing you with more energy during the day. This occurs because HGH stimulates metabolic function so that the food you consume is processed into fuel. Your body will also target stored fat for further energy-burning ability. With this added energy, you will not find it necessary to doze off and take an afternoon or early evening nap. Daytime sleep can interfere with nighttime sleep.
Does Increasing Sleep Benefit HGH?
You may have started to see a connection by now between HGH and sleep that goes in both directions. The more you sleep at night, and the longer time you spend in deeper, slow-wave sleep, the more HGH your pituitary gland will secrete.
However, if you are not able to sleep soundly during the night, you will see more of a reduction in HGH production. As you increase and improve your sleep, you will then reap further HGH benefits for better sleep.
When you start taking HGH therapy for growth hormone deficiency, you will begin to sleep better at night. That will enable you to improve HGH functions.
For more information about HGH for better sleep, please contact our medical experts for a free consultation.